The video (click on image to the left) was compiled from time-lapse videos recorded from the International Space Station, courtesy of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Centre.

IOTA Management has received a number of complaints that QSL card requests sent to Kadek, YB9BU in accordance with his QSLing instructions on QRZ.com have not received a reply and similarly that email enquiries are not being answered. Emails from the IOTA Manager and mutual friends have also gone unanswered.

In the circumstances it can only be assumed that there is an interruption in the QSL manager service for all the many operations for which YB9BU acts as QSL manager and people would be well advised not to send further cards. We would also advise YB island operators for whom YB9BU acts or normally acts as manager to make other arrangements to ensure satisfactory QSLing.

Acceptance by IOTA Management of further IOTA operations by YB9BU must be regarded as on hold until and unless the matter is resolved.

UPDATE – We are now on the final lane of our operation. We will start to dismantle most of the antennas on Sunday because all equipment must be packed and stored in big plastic cases for transportation. The boxes will be transported from Tromelin to France in the coming months. We plan to keep all stations running but not on all bands for the last night. Estimated QRT time is around 0100z Monday.

For the coming 3 days, we want to focus on stations looking for Tromelin for an All Time New One (ATNO). Even if we made our best to give opportunities to everyone, there’s still a lot of work to do and we’ll try to do it as well as possible.

We kindly ask those having already a lot of QSO with us or with past operations to give a chance to others. This is HAM SPIRIT !

The event, celebrating 90 years of the first radio communication between New Zealand and the United Kingdom was a huge succes so thanks to both the Ham community and operators for their support. Over 70,000 QSO's have been logged over the last 12 months.

Qsl Cards are printed and the fastest way to receive any Qsl Card I manage is to request them via M0OXO OQRS.

Bureau cards are NOT required so please DO NOT send your cards through the bureau.

Since its publication many DX groups and individuals offered to support this expedition which we highly appreciate. So far, the preparations are progressing smoothly and according to plan.

Exchange of QSL cards with EP is not always going smoothly and sometimes high costs are involved to cover postalexpenses. As in the past with previous Rockall DX Group expeditions we asked Tim M0URX to take care about the QSL chores for the EP6T operation. Together with Max ON5UR, responsible for the QSL card design and printing, they are a great team and without doubt you can count on a fast service. And yes, the complete log will be uploaded to LoTW right after the expedition has ended.

We would like to thank Dr. Azim Fard.Dr. Fard is Director General of the Communication Regulatory Authority (CRA) and amongst others is responsible for the radio amateur licenses in the I.R of Iran. Together with his team and the people of national security, he has made this expedition possible.

As you know, Tim M0URX and I use a Royal Mail contract for sending our mail in bulk.

This service ensures that our Direct letters and Bureau packages are sent via Priority Air Mail. This gives us the fastest, most efficient and most secure way to get your Qsl Card requests to you. Below are are two reports, one from Italy and one from Japan that show how efficient this service really is;

''Hi Charles, I just received the DX8DX QSL. Probably the faster QSL I ever received !!! Thanks a lot''Dan, I1-12387

''Dear OM, Thank You , we received qsl for DX8DX for JA1EY /Don and 7K3EOP/Nori, best 73/88'' JA1EY /Don

The two qsl cards mentioned above were mailed on Friday 24th October at 1600UTC. The cards arrived in Italy on Tuesday the 28th and in Japan on Wednesday 29th October.

If you are planning a DXpedition, Holiday Style activation of an IOTA or any other event then please contact either myself (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
and see how our Qsl Service could help and take the pressure away from you and provide the most efficient QSL service that your DXpedition deserves.

The event, celebrating 90 years of the first radio communication between New Zealand and the United Kingdom draws to a close at the end of October so if you this card you need to be quick to get a qso!

Qsl Cards are printed and the fastest way to receive any Qsl Card I manage is to request them via M0OXO OQRS.

Bureau cards are NOT required so please DO NOT send your cards through the bureau.

G3VMW, Steve; G3XAQ, Alan; Don G3XTT; and M0PCB, Iain; have announced plans a DXpedition to Gambia" as C5X from January 15-26, 2015. This will also include "some activity in the CQWW 160m Contest".

Plans include two complete stations (Elecraft K3s and KPA500s) using Spiderbeams for the HF bands, verticals on an 18 meter high Spiderpole for 160 and 80 meters and dipoles/verticals on 40 and 30 meters. Activity will be on 1.8 through 28 MHz on CW, SSB, RTTY and some PSK.

They have had to abandon their original operating site, the well-known "Radio Syd" guesthouse, where C5A, a Czech contest group, operated successfully for several years. The C5A group advised there were severe LF/HF noise problems, which have been confirmed by C5YK, Andre. A nearby electric fence installed by aEuropean contractor within the last two years is causing it. The fence is at a high security prison 200 meters to the west.

The C5X operation will move to the Ocean Villa Heights Lodge, English run, on the coast at Brufut, southwest of Banjul. There is a "large northwest-facing lawned garden area" just 100 meters from the beach, a good spot for antennas. With the K1N Navassa operation likely around the same time, C5X will try to steer clear of those pileups.

Logs are expected to be uploaded daily to both Club Log and LoTW. QSL via M0OXO (OQRS Preferred). Please DO NOT send your cards via the Bureau as they are NOT required and the team may not receive them.

Berkner Island, the sole qualifying island of AN-014, has been on the IOTA list since the very start of the IOTA Programme.

It was regularly shown on maps as a large island, albeit covered with a layer of very thick ice, separating the Ronne Ice Shelf from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. Some contacts were made by LU1ZX from the old General Belgrano III Base on the island more than 30 years ago – no more than a handful are credited on the IOTA database. The remote possibility of a second operation that might be mounted at huge expense has caused IOTA Management to review the retention of Berkner Island on the list.